Stargate SG1 Drabbles
by Eleri McCleod
Summary: Drabbles for Stargate SG-1. The first chapter contains one drabble and a brief explanation. Please read all headers for spoiler and rating notes. Enjoy!
1. The Pool

What's a 'drabble'?  
  
I'm so glad you asked. A 'drabble' is a 100 word piece of writing. There are dribbles (150 words), double drabbles (200 words), and double drabbles plus (over 200 words). Basically, these are very short fics that aren't long enough to qualify as vignettes or ficlets. One small public service announcement: these are the categories used on Jackfic and may not match what is used on other lists. This does not mean one list or the other is "right." But these are the classifications I use for my drabbles.  
  
What's a 'drabble challenge'?  
  
Another very good question. Over on the Jackfic mailing list, some brave soul began to post a Drabble Challenge Word once a week, every Friday. It has turned into a wonderful tool to get the creative juices flowing and some very fine pieces of fiction have come from it. All the results of these challenges can be found at www.jackfic.com.  
  
Each chapter here is its own separate drabble. All drabbles have individual header info, most of the time longer than the actual fic. Although posted in no particular order, I will keep drabble series next to each other. Please note the spoiler and season warnings before reading the drabbles.  
  
Thanks for dropping by the check these little pieces out. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did writing them.  
  
Eleri

------------

Title: The Pool, Drabble Challenge for "Boxers"

Author: Eleri McCleod

Email: elerimc (at symbol) lycos.com

Status: complete

Category: humor

Pairings: none

Spoilers: none

Season: Anytime

Sequel/Series Info: none

Rating: G

Content Warnings: none

Summary: The most sought-after fact in all the SGC.

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended.

File Size (kb): 5k

Archive: FF.net, Jackfic. Anyone else, please ask.

Author's Note: I wanted to try something amusing to cheer myself up. I hope this gives you a giggle. Word count: exact 100 words! As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.

© Eleri McCleod, March 2004

---------------

"What are the odds on O'Neill?"

"Boxers 10-1, briefs 2-1, neither 15-1."

Sam paused outside the doorway of the lab to control her grin. The pool had been running for over a month now and no one had managed to get the skinny on the Colonel. She, Janet and all the nurses knew the answer, but Sam and Janet weren't about to talk and the infirmary's personnel were all under a gag order on pain of very large needles.

Still battling her smile, Sam waited patiently. What was the young, female Lieutenant going to go for?

"Five on neither."

Sucker.

---------------


	2. Empty Chairs at Empty Tables

Title: Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, Drabble Challenge for "Empty Chair"  
  
Author: Eleri McCleod  
  
Email: elerimclycos.com  
  
Status: complete  
  
Category: drama, challenge response  
  
Pairings: none  
  
Spoilers: Heroes  
  
Season: 7  
  
Sequel/Series Info: none  
  
Rating: G  
  
Content Warnings: none  
  
Summary: Sometimes moments that are supposed to comfort do anything but.  
  
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
File Size (kb): 3k  
  
Archive: Jackfic, FF.net, any others please ask  
  
Author's Note: A special thanks goes to Cokie for being my guinea pig. As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.

"Oh, my friends, my friends forgive me That I live and you are gone There's a grief that can't be spoken There's a pain goes on and on"  
- Marius, "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" from "Les Misérables"

Carter's slightly unsteady voice flowed over me, sucking long-buried memories from their hole. Floating faces overlayed themselves in my vision, Hammond and Daniel's solemn expressions masked by old friends, long gone.  
  
"... that's not what her life was about."  
  
Meant to be comforting, the heartfelt words only increased the emptiness growing inside. Unexpectedly, a familiar melody joined her voice in my head, underscoring the void I'd become. Bitterness refused to allow acceptance, comfort. A dear friend had been ripped away. All I could feel was the senselessness of her loss.  
  
'Empty chairs at empty tables...'  
  
Another face joined the floating crowd. 


	3. Standing Between

Title: Standing Between, Drabble Challenge for 'Division'  
  
Author: Eleri McCleod  
  
Email: elerimclycos.com  
  
Status: complete  
  
Category: drama  
  
Pairings: none  
  
Spoilers: Allegiance  
  
Season: 6  
  
Sequel/Series Info: none  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Content Warnings: none  
  
Summary: The Goa'uld isn't the only enemy.  
  
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
File Size (kb): 3k  
  
Archive: Jackfic, FF.net, anyone else please ask  
  
Author's Note: Once again, a big hug for Cokie. A one-word suggestion changed an entire line. Thanks! As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.  
  
Division between the ranks will kill us. The Tok'ra can't drop their arrogance long enough to recognize the Jaffa's worth. The Jaffa can't swallow wounded pride long enough to recognize the long efforts, and the dead, of the Tok'ra.  
  
Everyone else can continue to hold out hope, but I know where this mess is heading. Too many years among people who hated their neighbors for no better reason than the fact they believed differently had taught me too well. The Tok'ra and Jaffa have so much more than simple beliefs standing between them.  
  
The Goa'uld may be hunting us. But we'll be our own defeat.  
  



	4. I Remember

Title: I Remember, Drabble Challenge for 'Memory'  
  
Author: Eleri McCleod  
  
Email: elerimc (at symbol) lycos.com  
  
Status: complete  
  
Category: comfort  
  
Pairings: S/J  
  
Spoilers: Beneath the Surface  
  
Season: 4  
  
Sequel/Series Info: none  
  
Rating: G  
  
Content Warnings: none  
  
Summary: What do you do when nothing seems real anymore?  
  
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
File Size (kb): 3k  
  
Archive: Jackfic, FF.net, any others please ask  
  
Author's Note: This one weighs in at exactly 100 words. Huge thanks and hugs to Cokie for the pre-read. Hold onto your hats, everyone, the shipper is reemerging. g As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.

-----------

I'd never had reason to doubt my memory before. But suddenly nothing was as it should have been. I saw her face and knew she was Thera. I also knew she wasn't. I knew there was something between us, yet I couldn't remember how it had all began.  
  
Her warmth seeped softly into me, her head a wonderful weight on my shoulder. This was all that felt real to me anymore, all that I could hold onto. Nothing else remained solid within the muffled fog of memory.  
  
"Well, then I feel better."  
  
And strangely, with her words, so did I.

--------------


	5. The One Not

Title: The One Not, Drabble Challenge for 'Headache'  
  
Author: Eleri McCleod  
  
Email: elerimc (at symbol) lycos.com  
  
Status: complete  
  
Category: drama  
  
Pairings: none  
  
Spoilers: The Enemy Within  
  
Season: 1  
  
Sequel/Series Info: none  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Content Warnings: none  
  
Summary: Intuition can be a horrible thing.  
  
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
File Size (kb): 3k  
  
Archive: Jackfic, FF.net, any others please ask  
  
Author's Note: Big thanks and hugs go to Cokie for pre-reading this. As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.

---------------  
  
He said it was just a headache. Something told me it wasn't 'just.'  
  
The echo of the 'Gate shutting down resonated in my chest as I stared down at the tableau I'd created.  
  
Two forms. One standing. One not.  
  
The one not was crumpled in a heap, a mockery of the vibrant man I could still see so clearly in my mind. Complete silence encompassed us all, a frozen moment no one dared break. So I dared, moving quickly from the control room to accept the call I'd made.  
  
He'd said it was only a headache.  
  
I hate it when I'm right.  
  
----------------


	6. A Little Convincing

Title: A Little Convincing, Drabble Challenge for 'Joke'

Author: Eleri McCleod

Email: elerimc (at symbol) lycos . com

Status: complete

Category: humor

Pairings: none

Spoilers: none

Season: any

Sequel/Series Info: none

Rating: G

Content Warnings: none

Summary: Sometimes Jack needs a little convincing.

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended.

File Size (kb): 3k

Archive: Jackfic, FF . net, any others please ask

Author's Note: A third attempt at humor. I hope you get a giggle out of it. Huge hugs goes to Cokie for the pre-read. waves As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.

---------

"That's a joke, right? Ha, ha. Carter made a funny. Right?"

"I'm afraid not, sir."

"I don't like that answer."

"It's the only one I have, sir."

"She's right, Jack. This is important."

"Nothing's that important."

"I must concur with O'Neill. What they are offering is not sufficient reason to subject anyone to that."

"Sir, it won't cost you anything."

"Just my pride! Which has already taken plenty of hits for Earth over the years."

"Come on, Jack. It's only one evening."

"If anyone at the SGC ever hears about this ..."

"Not a word, sir."

"Utterly sealed."

"Tealc?"

"Teal?c?!"

----------


	7. A World Alone

Title: A World Alone, Drabble Challenge for 'Solitary'  
  
Author: Eleri McCleod  
  
Email: elerimc (at symbol) lycos . com  
  
Status: complete  
  
Category: drama, angst  
  
Pairings: none really  
  
Spoilers: A Matter of Time  
  
Season: 2  
  
Sequel/Series Info: none  
  
Rating: G  
  
Content Warnings: none  
  
Summary: An accidental witness gains a tiny bit of insight into Jack.  
  
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
File Size (kb): 3k  
  
Archive: Jackfic, FF . net, any others please ask  
  
Author's Note: Grateful thanks goes to Cokie for pre-reading my insanity. As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.  
  
--------  
  
Easing into the room, her already prepared questions halted flat when her eyes came to rest on the man lying so carefully still on the small bed. One arm was flung over a pale brow, the pristine bandage almost matching the normally tanned skin.  
  
Yet again an injury had brought him down.  
  
Yet again a friend had been lost.  
  
Yet again he was locked in a solitary world where no one else could enter.  
  
An uneven sigh escaped quietly from the tense mouth and a single tear pushed its way through the tightly clenched lid.  
  
Slipping silently out, Janet reluctantly left him to his grief. Alone.  
  
---------  
  



	8. Fowl Language

Title: Fowl Language, Drabble Challenge for 'Turkey'

Author: Eleri McCleod

Email: elerimc (at symbol) lycos . com

------------

"Turkey."

Staring across the table at Teal'c, I could only wonder what he was talking about. Most days I knew exactly what was going on in that busy brain of his. Right then? Nada. Nothing.

I searched his face for clues, reviewing the last few spoken words in a vain attempt to discern his meaning. The eyebrow cocked slightly, a tiny hint of a grin appearing.

Suddenly the conversation snapped into place as the words 'Hammond' and 'cranberry sauce' came together. Trust Teal'c to pick the wrong fowl.

"Chicken, T. The word you're looking for is 'chicken.'"

"Very well. Chicken."

------------ 


	9. Sticks and Stones

Title: Sticks and Stones, Drabble Challenge for 'Sobriquet'  
  
Author: Eleri McCleod  
  
Email: elerimc (at symbol) lycos . com  
  
Status: complete  
  
Category: whump  
  
Pairings: none  
  
Spoilers: none  
  
Season: any  
  
Sequel/Series Info: none  
  
Rating: PG13  
  
Content Warnings: language  
  
Summary: Even silence can have unwelcome consequences.  
  
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
File Size (kb): 3k  
  
Archive: Jackfic, FF . net, any others please ask  
  
Author's Note: Huge hugs goes to Cokie for the pre-read and the most excellent title! The squirrels took a violent turn on me. I couldn't stop them! As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.  
  
------------  
  
"Kneel, Tau'ri dog!"  
  
Now that was the lamest excuse for a sobriquet I've ever heard. And I've been gifted with many of them over the years. A fact I would have assured the First Prime had I not been gasping from the blow to the solar plexus I'd just received.  
  
"I said 'kneel.'"  
  
Ignoring the deadly quiet words, threat inherent, I stood tall, forcing air into my protesting lungs. I'd hand myself over to Hathor voluntarily before giving him the satisfaction of seeing me succumb to his half-assed attempts at intimidation.  
  
The staff weapon planted itself into my abdomen once more. Okay. Maybe they weren't half-assed after all.  
  
---------------  
  



	10. Of Pumpkins and Power

Title: Of Power and Pumpkins, Drabble Challenge for 'Pumpkin'

Author: Eleri McCleod

Email: elerimc (at symbol) lycos . com (without spaces)

Status: complete

Category: humor

Pairings: none

Spoilers: none

Season: one

Sequel/Series Info: none

Rating: G

Content Warnings: none

Summary: Confusion abounds.

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended.

File Size (kb): 3k

Archive: Jackfic, FF . net, any others please ask

Author's Note: Huge hugs goes to Cokie for posting this as well as the friendship she's given me over the past couple of months. This one's over 100 words, but I'll plead lack of practice. It's been a while without the Weekly Boring Meetings. g As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.

----------

"Why would one choose to mutilate a vegetable simply to sit and rot outside one's home?"

Stifling a grin at the perplexed tone, Daniel leaned over the larger man's shoulder to point out a particularly gruesome example. "It's called a Jack o' Lantern. It's supposed to scare away evil spirits."

The eyebrows rose high in an unusual display of surprise. "Does the disfiguration imbue these 'Jack o' Lanterns' with such power?"

Jack couldn't keep the snort from escaping. Luckily, Daniel's chuckle helped to hide the unattractive sound. "It's a superstition, Teal'c. It's really just a pumpkin cut up with a candle inside."

The silence was loud until broken by a weary sigh.

"Tau'ri."

---------


	11. Life's So Funny

Title: Life's So Funny, Drabble Challenge for 'Life', Companion piece for "Death Calls Blue"

Author: Eleri McCleod

Email: elerimc (at symbol) lycos . com

Rating: T

Category: angst, S/J

Spoilers: 2010

Archive: Jackfic

Author's note: Double drabble and then some. I know this is late and I blew the heck out the 100 word limit for the first time, but I just couldn't get this one down any more. Companion piece to my first vid of the same name, which can be found at www. hoodatlair. com/ vids/ hosted/ elerivids. htm (remove the spaces) Companion piece to "Death Calls Blue."

As always, all feedback is appreciated.

© Eleri McCleod, January 2004

XXXXXXXX

He wasn't much of a country fan, even classic country from years ago, but something kept his finger from forwarding on to the next station. Maybe it was the lonely opening arpeggio played on the guitar or maybe it was the first line.

"'Ain't it funny…'"

The words reverberated throughout his body, the singer's ironic tone matching Jack's personal inner voice perfectly. Yes, life was funny, in a "beat your head against the wall" kind of way. After years, she'd appeared, looking just as she had the last time he'd seen her, yanking him from his self-imposed exile, dragging up memories he'd buried deep in order to move on, away from his former existence. She'd appeared not to catch up and tell him she'd missed him, but to tell him he'd been right all those years ago, to rub salt in the wounds that he'd thought had healed.

The words of the song held him immobile as never forgotten, pleading blue eyes filled his vision. He'd never been able to deny her anything in the past. Could he do it now? Was he willing to put himself through the hell of fighting for a past that had betrayed him? For a woman that had betrayed him?

Lost in indecision, the final words echoed his tumbling emotions, irony heavy and pulling an unamused quirk to his lips.

"'Life's so funny…'"

"'Sometimes it makes me sad.'"

XXXXXXXX

fin


	12. Death Calls Blue

Title: Death Calls Blue, Drabble Challenge for 'Death', Companion piece for "Life's So Funny" 

Author: Eleri McCleod

Email: elerimc (at symbol) lycos . com

Rating: T

Category: angst, death

Spoilers: 2010

Archive: Jackfic

Author's note: And this one's a drabble and a half. Yep, blew two word limits in as many weeks. (g) I think I'm slipping. Companion piece to "Life's So Funny."

As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.

Death called softly as the shimmering light he'd missed with a passion he'd never acknowledged grew ever dimmer. And the man that had accepted failure only once before let go of the past, present and what could have been his future.

XXXXXXXX

fin


	13. Balancing Revenge

Title: Balancing Revenge, Drabble Challenge for 'Spook' 

Author: Eleri McCleod

Email: elerimc (at symbol) lycos . com

Rating: T

Status: complete

Category: humor

Pairings: none

Spoilers: Fragile Balance, if you think really hard (veg)

Season: seven

Sequel/Series Info: none

Content Warnings: none

Summary: Always remember who you're talking to. You never know when it might come back to haunt you.

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended.

File Size (kb): 3k

Archive: Jackfic, any others please ask

Author's Note: Huge hugs go to all my fellow Jackficcers! I missed you horribly when I was gone and am so happy to be back. I hope y'all get a big smile out of this one. It's exactly 100 words. Say thanks to the Weekly Boring Meetings. (vbg) As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.

XXXXXXXX

The face across from mine alternated between fascination and disgust. "Carter? What's up? You're looking a little spooked."

"You're not really going to eat that, are you?"

Looking down at my lunch, her incredulous tone failed to explain the greenish cast to her face. "Uh, yeah." I lifted the fork filled with mashed potatoes, peas, carrots, Jello and apple sauce the rest of the way to my mouth. With an audible swallow, she bolted from the table, almost making Daniel drop his tray as he approached the table.

"What's with Sam?"

Fork filled once again, I smiled innocently. "Got me."

XXXXXXXX


	14. If It's Tuesday

Title: If It's Tuesday, Drabble Challenge for 'Moving Day'

Author: Eleri McCleod

Email: elerimc (at symbol) lycos . com

Status: complete

Category: drama

Pairings: none

Spoilers: A Matter of Time

Season: pre-SG-1

Sequel/Series Info: Companion piece to my full-length fic "A Picture Can Say…"

Rating: T

Content Warnings: none

Summary: Moving isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended.

File Size (kb): 3k

Archive: Jackfic, any others please ask

Author's Note: This one is for Karen (Villa) who's been patience itself while waiting for a very slow writer. (beg) Big thanks and hugs go to Cokie for pre-reading this. As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.

XXXXXXXX

The wood slat box shifted unexpectedly, jolting the occupant from his uneasy doze. Voices assaulted his ears as the sun scorched its way through the slats. Raising his head ever so slightly, the splintered wood dug into his scalp.

The box shifted again as it was lifted.

Ah. Moving day, the man encased in wood slowly realized. Every few days his captors moved the camp, evading the US forces swarming over the country.

Dust choked his lungs as his cage was dropped unceremoniously back into the sand. The incongruous snick of a camera shutter reached his ears. Great. More pictures.

Click.

XXXXXXXX


	15. A World Alone

Title: A World Alone, Drabble Challenge for 'Solitary'

Author: Eleri McCleod

Email: elerimc (at symbol) lycos . com

Status: complete

Category: drama, angst

Pairings: none really

Spoilers: A Matter of Time

Season: 2

Sequel/Series Info: none

Rating: K+

Content Warnings: none

Summary: An accidental witness gains a tiny bit of insight into Jack.

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended.

File Size (kb): 3k

Archive: Jackfic, any others please ask

Author's Note: Grateful thanks goes to Cokie for pre-reading my insanity. As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.

XXXXXXXX

Easing into the room, her already prepared questions halted flat when her eyes came to rest on the man lying so carefully still on the small bed. One arm was flung over a pale brow, the pristine bandage almost matching the normally tanned skin.

Yet again an injury had brought him down.

Yet again a friend had been lost.

Yet again he was locked in a solitary world where no one else could enter.

An uneven sigh escaped quietly from the tense mouth and a single tear pushed its way through the tightly clenched lid.

Slipping silently out, Janet reluctantly left him to his grief. Alone.

XXXXXXXX


	16. Things Not Seen

Title: Things Not Seen, Drabble Challenge for "Homecoming"

Author: Eleri McCleod

Email: elerimc (at symbol) lycos . com

Status: complete

Category: drama

Pairings: Jack/Sara

Spoilers: none

Season: pre-SG-1

Sequel/Series Info: none

Rating: K+

Content Warnings: none

Summary: Some things cannot be seen.

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended.

File Size (kb): 5k

Archive: Jackfic. Anyone else, please ask.

Author's Note: Welcome home, all soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. Your service and sacrifices are humbly appreciated.

© Eleri McCleod, February 2004

* * *

For four months I told myself that once I saw the States, I'd be home.

Then, for months while I was in the hospital it became: once I saw our house. I was surrounded by trees, not sand. Easily understood English words, not oddly scripted symbols. But I wasn't home.

Then, I saw the house, the green grass, the so-familiar lines of wood and siding. Yet I still wasn't home.

I lay in bed that evening, the evening that was supposed to have been my homecoming and I wasn't there. A sigh slid out, still quiet, even after months of de-conditioning. The dark surrounded, muffling the sight that was to be my proof. Lungs filled deeply to replace what I'd just wasted.

And home filled me. The smell of clean sheets, Sara's subtle perfume and the unmistakable scent of our life together lifted, warmed, soothed. And proved I was home.

* * *


	17. Stopping Time

Title: Stopping Time, Drabble Challenge for 'Tick Tock'

Author: Eleri McCleod

Email: elerimc (at symbol) lycos . com

Status: complete

Category: drama

Pairings: S/J

Spoilers: Divide and Conquer

Season: 4

Sequel/Series Info: none

Rating: T

Content Warnings: none

Summary: The moments you wish would last forever, never do.

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended.

File Size (kb): 3k

Archive: Jackfic, Gateworld, FF. net, anyone else please ask

Author's Note: Special thanks to Cokie, a non-shipper, for pre-reading this one. It's a hardship, I know, but you never fail me. (g) As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.

* * *

Tick …

Time slowed, stilled. Then stopped.

Flashing blue rippled between two frozen figures. Each wanting to speak. Neither knowing what to say. Eyes met. Held. Despaired.

A single pounding footfall reverberated down the corridor, a herald of the inevitable.

Go, please.

I can't.

Words never realized, never allowed, floated in the still air. Was this how it was to end? A silent acknowledgement before the last breaths, the final cheated glances?

Desperation squeezed a vise around ribs unprepared for the sensation. Why? Oh, why, had they waited until it was too late?

The moment gone, time sprinted back into place.

… tock.

* * *


	18. Welcome Reception

TITLE: Welcome Reception, Drabble Challenge for "Run Amok"

AUTHOR: Eleri McCleod

EMAIL: elerimc (at symbol) lycos . com

STATUS: complete

CATEGORY: humor

PAIRINGS: none

SPOILERS: Brief Candle, if you think really hard (veg)

SEASON: any

SEQUEL/SERIES INFO: none

RATING: K

CONTENT WARNINGS: none

SUMMARY: Who better to remind you of past mistakes than your friends?

DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended.

FILE SIZE (kb): 3k

ARCHIVE: Jackfic, Gateworld, FF. net, any others please ask

AUTHOR'S NOTE: While not my best, I hope you get a smile out of it anyway. I'm really out of practice, but it does come in at exactly 100 words. Huge thanks go to Cokie for the preread! You're the best! (vbg) As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.

* * *

"Like chickens with their heads cut off."

The derisive tone sliced through the raucous noise with ease, bringing a raised eyebrow to Daniel's face.

"You'd think they'd never seen an out-of-towner before."

"Come on, Jack. A little running amok really isn't all that surprising, is it?" Glancing around the square filled with milling, excited villagers, Daniel mentally compared the medieval clothing to their own modern garments. "Give them some time. They'll calm down."

"Before or after we get flattened by their enthusiasm?"

A devious grin replaced the raised eyebrow. "Just think, Jack, they could always offer us cake."

"Bite your tongue."

* * *


	19. Strength Unknown

Title: Strength Unknown, Drabble Challenge for 'Mettle'

Author: Eleri McCleod

Email: elerimc (at symbol) lycos . com

Status: complete

Category: drama

Pairings: none

Spoilers: Stargate, the Movie

Season: pre-show

Sequel/Series Info: none

Rating: K

Content Warnings: none

Summary: An end or a beginning?

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended.

File Size (kb): 3k

Archive: Jackfic, Gateworld, FF. net, any others please ask

Author's Note: This one came to me when SciFi aired the movie the other day. The drabble word just sort of stuck in my head as I watched this scene. And it comes in at exactly 100 words. (g) As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.

* * *

Damn. I think I'm actually going to miss the geek.

Glasses perched on his nose, he stared up the ramp to meet my eyes, words unsaid filling the shimmering air between us. A quick glance past him at Sha're reminded me why he was staying, why he'd been able to find the mettle I never would have ascribed him. Finding us our way home was one thing. Staying behind, leaving everything and everyone he'd ever known, was something else entirely.

With that understanding, I couldn't say goodbye.

"See you around, Dr. Jackson."

And somehow, I knew it wasn't a lie.

* * *


	20. Unexpected

Title: Unexpected, Drabble Challenge for 'Obsession'

Author: Eleri McCleod

Email: elerimc (at symbol) lycos . com

Status: complete

Category: drama

Pairings: none

Spoilers: Homecoming

Season: 7

Sequel/Series Info: none

Rating: K+

Content Warnings: none

Summary: Sometimes things happen no matter how hard you try.

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. No copyright infringement is intended.

File Size (kb): 3k

Archive: Jackfic, Gateworld, Ff. net, any others please ask

Author's Note: Huge hugs goes to Cokie for the pre-read. (waves) As always, any and all feedback is appreciated.

* * *

The man has an obsession with the Weather Channel. He's too polite. His photographic memory always makes me think 'android.' And Niirti tried to turn him against us.

But he has courage. He stands up for what he believes. He always tries to do the right thing. He tried to make things better, for any people we met.

And now I'm watching him leave us, all a little better for having known him.

I tried hard not to like him, even tried to deny his existence. Yet somehow, he made it through the armor.

Damn.

I'm going to miss him.

* * *


	21. The Calling

Title: The Calling, Drabble challenge for 'Maverick'

Author: Eleri McCleod

Email: elerimc (at symbol) lycos . com

Rating: T

Warning: Character death, it's up to the reader to decide the POV

Series/Sequel: Three-part drabble story - "Shattered," "Duty" and "The Call."

Author's notes: I started this drabble and it multiplied on me. So I'm taking a page out of Twitchy's book and doing a trio of drabbles. Thanks Twitch!

© Eleri McCleod, November 2003

* * *

Shattered

* * *

One maverick.

That was all it took.

In a split second, that tiny piece of lead forever altered my life.

I don't cry.

I don't even shake.

I simply let the scalding water pound over my battered body as I scrub the blood from my hands, my face. The face a gentle hand touched but for a moment before sliding away, leaving a crimson stain.

The water has flown clear for interminable minutes before I shut it off. Silence is shattered by the screaming of the klaxons, calling me back to my suddenly empty life. A call I must answer.

* * *

Duty

* * *

I open my locker, forcing my body to clothe itself, knowing that I still have the long road of duty before me. Though my world has been shattered, nothing else has changed. The Goa'uld still enslave people, hosts are still taken. The war is nowhere nearer to an end. Pulling the olive drab coat over my arms, I catch sight of a pale, wan face, familiar, but lacking its usual animation.

"SG-1 to the briefing room."

With a determined breath, I lock my armor back in place and turn to go, to continue the mission laid before me years ago.

* * *

The Call

* * *

Avoiding three pairs of eyes, I listen, numb, as each person speaks. My turn comes all too soon and suddenly those eyes are boring into me. I clear my throat and force my voice to come out tonelessly, to reveal none of the loss locked deep inside.

As always, there's no time to grieve; we're needed now. The Goa'uld are still plotting and we have to keep standing in their way.

Far too soon I find myself back in the 'Gateroom, pack bearing down on my shoulders and weapon cold against my flesh.

Shimmering blue light calls.

And I answer.

* * *

Fin 


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